OIL WELL DESIGNING

Casing Design and Seat selection

Prerequisites to casing design

Formation properties : pore pressure;

formation fracture
pressure;
formation strength (borehole failure); temperature
profile; location of squeezing salt and shale zones; location
of permeable zones; chemical stability/ sensitive shales (mud
type and exposure time); lost-circulation zones, shallow gas;
location of freshwater sands; and presence of H2S and/ or
CO2.
Directional data : surface location; geologic target(s); and
well interference data.
Minimum diameter requirements : minimum hole size
required to meet drilling and production objectives; logging
tool outside diameter (OD); tubing size(s); packer and related
equipment requirements; subsurface safety valve OD
(offshore well); and completion requirements.
Production data : packer-fluid density; produced-fluid
composition;
and worst-case loads that might occur during
completion, production, and workover operations.
Other : available inventory; regulatory requirements; and
rig
equipment limitations.

Design Method
Preliminary

design

Typically

the largest opportunities for savingMONEY are

present while performing this task. This design phase includes:
Data gathering and interpretation
Determination of casing shoe depths and number of strings
Selection of hole and casing sizes
Mud-weight design
Directional design
The quality of the gathered data will have a large impact on
the appropriate choice of casing sizes and shoe depths and
whether the casing design objective is successfully met.
Detailed
The

design

detailed design phase includes selection of pipe weights

and grades for each casing string. The selection process
consists of comparing pipe ratings with design loads and
applying minimum acceptable safety standards (i.e., design
factors). A cost-effective design meets all the design criteria
with the least expensive available pipe.

Classification of CSG
1. Outside diameter of pipe

(e.g. 9 5/8)

2. Wall thickness

(e.g. 1/2)

3. Grade of material

(e.g. N-80)

4. Type to threads and couplings

5. Length of each joint (RANGE)
6. Nominal weight

(e.g. API LCSG)

(e.g. Range 3)

(Avg. wt/ft incl. Wt. Coupling)

(e.g. 47

lb/ft)
Eg : A typical piece of casing might be described as
9-5/8" 53.5# P-110 LT&C Rg 3
specifying OD, weight per foot (53.5 lbm/ft thus 0.545-inch wall
thickness and 8.535-inch inside diameter), steel strength (110,000
psi yield strength), end finish ("Long Threaded and Coupled"), and
approximate length ("Range 3" usually runs between 40 and 42 feet).

Standardization of Casing

The collapse load, Pc at any point

along the casing can be calculated from:

The burst load, Pb at any point along

the casing can be calculated from:

Axial

Load

The

axial load on the casing can be either tensile or compressive,

depending on the operating conditions.
The axial load on the casing will vary along the length of the casing. The
casing is subjected to a wide range of axial loads during installation and
subsequent drilling and production.
The axial loads which will arise during any particular operation must be
computed and added together to determine the total axial load on the
casing.
The

sources of axial loads on the casing are a function of

a number of variables :

the dry weight of the casing;

the angle of the borehole;
Ao the cross sectional area of the outside of the casing;
Ai the cross sectional area of the inside of the casing;
DLS the dogleg severity of the well at any point;
Pi the surface pressure applied to the I.D. of the casing;
As the cross sectional area of the pipe body;
DT the change in temperature at any point in the well ;
dPi and ddPe the change in internal and external pressure on the casing; and n
the poissons ratio for the steel.

Tension

Tension
Depth

Burst
Collapse

Collapse
Burst
Collapse:
Tension:

STRESS
Assume full reservoir pressure all along the
wellbore.
Hydrostatic pressure increases with depth
Tensile stress due to weight of string is highest at
top

Safety Factors
Collapse
Burst
Tension
Safety

0.85 -1.125
1.00 -1.10
1.60 -1.80

factors can be defined as the ratio

between rated capacity of casing and the
actual load.

API standards include three

length ranges, which are :
R-1: Joint length must be within the
range of 16 to 25 feet, and 95% must
have lengths greater than 18 feet.

R-2: Joint length must be within the

range of 25 to 34 feet, and 95% must
have lengths greater than 28 feet.

R-3:

Joint length must be over 34 feet, and

95% must have lengths greater than 36 feet.

The API has specifications for

four types of couplings.
Short round threads and couplings

(CSG)
Long round threads and couplings
(LCSG)

Buttress threads and couplings

(BCSG)

Extremeline threads (XCSG)

 Nominal Weight: Based on the theoretical

calculated weight per foot for a 20 ft length of threaded
and coupled casing joint.

Plain End Weight: The weight of the joint of

casing without the threads and couplings.

Threaded and Coupled Weight: The weight of

a casing joint with threads on both ends and a coupling
at one end.

The Plain End Weight, and the Threaded and

Coupled Weight are calculated using API
formulas. These can be found in API Bulletin 5C3.

1) Draw the mean

pore pressure
gradient curve
along
with
2)
Draw
thethe
mud
lithology,
if The
weight
curve.
mudavailable
weight curve
should include a
200
400up
psitotrip
4.2) to
Move
Point
margin
B which
determines
the
4) 3)
To
determine
Draw
the
initial
estimated
initial
predicted
fracture
setting
depth
for
4.3) Move
across
estimates
of
gradient
curve
the intermediate
casing
to
setting
Point C
casing
(actually
which
depths
First:
4.4) Move
up
to
Point
run
it
300400
identifies
the
Enter the
mud
D
which
4.5)
Move across to
feet
deeper)
weightmud
curve
weight
at
determines
the
Point
E to identify
requirement
Point
A
(Total
preferred setting
the mud weight
Depth(TD))
for
that
depth for required
thedepth at that
surface casing/ depth

4.6) Point E is the normal pressure

range and no further casing is
required to withstand the
associated mud weight. However, a
structural and conductor casing are
required, and the setting depth

Design Bottom -toTop

A design should be developed by
well planning that provides for
economic production from the pay
zone consistent with safety
requirements. The pay zone should
be analysed for its flow potential
and the drilling problems that will
be encountered upon reaching it. The
well should be designed from
bottom-to-top. The opposite approach
can result in a well that limits the
production capacity of the pay zone.

Panipat Refinery

Atmospheric and Vaccum Distillation

Unit (AVU)

Continuous Catalytic Reformer Unit

(CCRU)
Vis-Breaking Unit (VBU)
Hydrogen Generation Unit (HGU)
Resid Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit
(RFCCU)
Once Through Hydrocracker Unit (HCU)